Museo Etnico Bagnaresi

The Bagnaresi Ethnographic Museum in Fano grew from objects collected by Maria Teresa Bagnaresi during decades of travel. Its collections bring together masks, ceramics, lacquered objects, metalwork and other forms of craftsmanship from different parts of the world.

Why it matters

The museum reflects both the variety of the objects and the individual interests of their collector. Her donation to the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Fano placed this personal collection within the city's cultural heritage.

What to notice

Masks, Chinese porcelain, lacquered objects, jewellery and edged weapons illustrate the range of materials and uses represented. Everyday objects appear alongside pieces made for ceremony and religious devotion, including nativity scenes. East Asian and African material forms a substantial part of a collection that also includes objects from the Americas, Australia and Europe.

Context and history

Bagnaresi assembled the collection over more than forty years of journeys before donating it to the foundation. The museum became part of the foundation's group of art and heritage collections in Fano. Its history is therefore also that of private collecting and the transfer of a personal body of objects into institutional care.